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For James Grant, co-founder of Starworks, the marketing consultancy, the increasing pay-to-wear trend is partly a result of a changing business model ... “The revenue stream has changed in Hollywood,” he says. “Fewer movies are being made. Action and 3D movies are being invested in but there are less decent dramas and romcoms. TV shows have become reality-driven, rather than actor-driven, so actors have to look elsewhere to make money. With fewer studios backing movies there’s less budget to pay for red-carpet stylists, costume designers and artists. So actors are turning to brands.”

I'd been wondering about this shift, in the way you wonder about things while you stand in line at the grocery store, but hadn't put the little pieces together into the bigger picture -- thanks for posting this link.

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Thanks for the link. It's pretty serious money for the actresses - the article refers to "actors" but it's mainly female actors who are facing the shortage of roles in the dramas and romantic comedies the article mentions and are thus looking to advertising for income.

Not to mention that the reaction can be reasonably described as savage when an actress chooses an unconventional or less than flattering frock, which has led to a certain sameness and conservatism in their choices. The glory days of Cher and Geena Davis are no more.

Altman tried it, more or less, with Pret-a-Porter.

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Actually LA is fairly conservative in its dress - refined Italian fabrics, subtle patterns, understated colors, beautiful cuts of clothes. Part of it is the soft light which rules out the dramatic primary colors that look so good in steely New York - and part of it is uncertainty about taboos and going overboard (for which see Joan Didion and Scott Fitzgerald).

Plus with the Oscars you have to compete with the red carpet as background, and who could paint on a red canvas - except perhaps for Matisse? That's why black does well, the tuxedoed men especially.

The effect of this upper east side group, who go back to Holly Go-lightly, is totally unimaginable in LA:

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The general trend toward conservatism in the actresses' fashion choices has been widely noted as the red carpet show has risen in importance. Certainly things weren't very understated in the go-go days of Bob Mackie and Nolan Miller. I don't think it's altogether a bad thing - it's a great benefit for men that they're able to wear a sort of uniform and a very flattering one, even if actors usually manage to find a way to mess up, cf. Robert Downey, Jr. One could argue that classically cut sheaths perform something like the same function for the women.

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The color range for dress seemed to be black or white or soft gold lame' - in sculpted statuette forms.

I saw a lot of the ceremonies through the online backstage cameras at oscars.com, through the Thank You Cam, Host camera or the one on Winners Walk. The press room interviews were interesting. Christopher Plummer was both humble and contentious - and very articulate. He said that it wasn’t true he was the oldest winner, Chaplin had been - unless you consider that not a real Oscar which he hoped wasn’t the case. He also said he hoped to act for ten more years and then die on stage or in front of a camera; that he had been rescued from his life as “a very naughty boy” by a recent marriage; and that, as a young Canadian, his greatest influences had been Louis Jouvet and Pierre Brasseur - both of whom starred in Children of Paradise. I missed a short interview somewhere with Gore Vidal.

There seemed to be some disappointment in the backstage halls when the best actor went to Jean Dujardin rather than George Clooney - that seemed to be the real moment of suspense. The onstage moments I saw seemed fairly staid except for the clip with Chris Rock. Billy Crystal was more like an august Claude Rains presence than a Bob Hope one, probably a reassuring touch. The Artist looks a lot like Singin in the Rain. It seemed like a very subdued year.

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.....when the best actor went to Jean Dujardin rather than George Clooney - that seemed to be the real moment of suspense. ....

Apparently the TV audience didn't see one of the most hilarious moments when Dujardin refused to leave the stage, even tap dancing and waving (much like his character in The Artist!). He was stopped only when a large front-curtain was brought down. It was about to hit him on the head, making him jump back and tripping Natalie Portman, who he scooped up just as she was going to hit the floor!

Portman and Benjamin Millepied also made the 'news' when they complained that Wolfgang Puck had not prepared enough vegetarian food for the Governor's Ball afterparty. Portman followed one of the waiters holding trays, hoping to find veggies. When she asked the waiter, "What do you have?" he answered, "People's dirty dishes, lady."

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I've had some heavy things to say about Michelle Williams' past choices during awards season(s) but I really liked what she was wearing last night. The color worked very well for her.

Rooney Mara gets my worst dressed award. There was nothing wrong with the dress per se (although it did wash her out horribly.) No, my objection is to that perma-scowl she had (and always has) on her face -- it destroyed every effect she was trying to achieve with the dress.

Oh, J.Lo! The dress was vulgar but it did show that marvelous posterior of hers off to advantage. Which, I suppose, was the point.

When Natalie Portman was being interviewed on the red carpet, I was shocked that Millipied, given what a bold self-promoter he is, didn't muscle his way into camera range.

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Christopher Plummer was both humble and contentious - and very articulate. He said that it wasn't true he was the oldest winner, Chaplin had been - unless you consider that not a real Oscar which he hoped wasn't the case. He also said he hoped to act for ten more years and then die on stage or in front of a camera; that he had been rescued from his life as "a very naughty boy" by a recent marriage; and that, as a young Canadian, his greatest influences had been Louis Jouvet and Pierre Brasseur - both of whom starred in Children of Paradise.

Very good taste on his part. Brits consistently give more polished acceptance speeches. They have something ready without any preliminary blather about Oh-gosh-oh-golly-I-wasn't-expecting-this, say something graceful, and get off the stage. I was rooting for von Sydow to pull off an upset in this category, since he's a great, great actor and from what one hears a nicer fellow (Alan Bennett on Plummer: "He's his own worst enemy - but only just"). But that was most unlikely.